Rikuu West Line

Rikuu West Line
DMU train on the Rikuu West Line crossing the Tsunokawa River in Tozawa, Yamagata, Japan.
Overview
Native name	陸羽西線
Status	Operation temporarily suspended
Owner	JR East
Locale	Yamagata Prefecture
Termini	Shinjō Amarume
Stations	10
Service
Operator(s)	JR East
Depot(s)	Kogota
Rolling stock	KiHa 110 series DMU
History
Opened	1913
Technical
Line length	43.0 km (26.7 mi)
Number of tracks	Entire line single tracked
Character	Rural
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	None
Operating speed	95 km/h (59 mph)
Route map Legend Ou Main Line （Yamagata Shinkansen） Rikuu East Line 0.0 Shinjō Ou Main Line 7.5 Masukata 10.6 Uzen-Zennami Sakegawa River 12.9 Tsuya Mogami River 17.0 Furukuchi Tsunokawa River Kutsuodaki Tunnel 24.8 Takaya Haramaki Tunnel 31.1 Kiyokawa 34.9 Karikawa 38.9 Minamino Uetsu Main Line 43.0 Amarume Uetsu Main Line Sakata

Line map
Red: Rikuu West Line
Blue: Uetsu Main Line (Amarume - Sakata)

The Rikuu West Line (陸羽西線, Rikuu-sai-sen) is a railway line in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East).^[1] It connects Shinjō Station to Amarume Station, and trains continue on to Sakata Station, even though it is not officially a part of the Rikuu West Line.

Its name refers to the ancient provinces of Mutsu (陸奥) and Dewa (出羽) (or alternatively, the Meiji-era provinces of Rikuzen (陸前) and Uzen (羽前)), although strictly speaking, only the Rikuu East Line connects both areas.

Station list

• All stations are located in Yamagata Prefecture.

Station	Japanese	Distance (km)		Rapid	Transfers		Location
		Between stations	Total
Shinjō	新庄	-	0.0	●	Yamagata Shinkansen ■ Ōu Main Line ■ Rikuu East Line	∨	Shinjō
Masukata	升形	7.5	7.5	▼		｜
Uzen-Zennami	羽前前波	3.1	10.6	▼		｜
Tsuya	津谷	2.3	12.9	▼		｜	Tozawa
Furukuchi	古口	4.1	17.0	●		◇
Takaya	高屋	7.8	24.8	▼		｜
Kiyokawa	清川	6.3	31.1	▼		｜	Shōnai
Karikawa	狩川	3.8	34.9	●		｜
Minamino	南野	4.0	38.9	▼		｜
Amarume	余目	4.1	43.0	●	■ Uetsu Main Line	^
Through to the Uetsu Main Line (via Kita-Amarume, Sagoshi and Higashi-Sakata)
Sakata	酒田	-	55.3	●	■ Uetsu Main Line	∥	Sakata

Symbols:

• | - Single-track
• ◇ - Single-track; station where trains can pass
• ^ - Double-track section starts from this point
• ∥ - Double-track
• ∨ - Single-track section starts from this point

Rolling stock

• KiHa 110 series DMUs

History

The line was opened in sections between 1913 and 1914. Freight services ceased in 1987, and CTC signalling was commissioned in 1991.

Due to the construction of a tunnel, that is part of Shinjo Sakata Road of National Route 47, the Rikuu West Line has temporarily suspended services since 14 May 2022 until at least 2024 or 2025, with replacement buses operating in the neighbour towns of stations.^[2]

On 26 September 2025, it was announced that the Rikuu West Line would reopen on 16 January of the following year. Replacement bus service will stop on the same day. Additionally, upon the resumption of service, the low-usage stations of Uzen-Zennami and Takaya will no longer be serviced by trains.^[3]

References

1. "ＪＲ陸羽西線、廃線に危機感 国道トンネル工事で２年運休". 河北新報オンライン (in Japanese). 2022-05-14. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
2. "国土交通省による「（仮称）高屋トンネル」の施工に伴う 陸羽西線全線の運転取りやめとバスによる代行輸送のお知らせ" (PDF). JR East (in Japanese). 22 February 2022. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 May 2022.
3. "国土交通省による高屋道路「（仮）高屋トンネル」工事の進捗状況を踏まえた陸羽西線 運転再開およびバス代行輸送終了時期の見通しについて" (PDF). JR East (in Japanese). 2025-09-26. Retrieved 2025-09-26.

External links

• JR East website with stations listing (in Japanese)